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Fitting the saddle to your horse, wither tracings, Saddle Fitment By purchasing from Down Under Saddle Supply you receive service and advice that is unparalleled within the industry. Here in Aurora we have a huge inventory of saddles in stock for immediate delivery, assuring that you receive the right saddle for you and your horse. Most of our current Kimberley Series and Down Under models have adjustable saddle trees, whereby we can adjust the saddle to fit nearly any kind of horse .....big or small. When we receive your wither tracing we match it to a suitable saddle and make any needed adjustements. If after you receive your saddle you are unsure of the saddle fit, just post or email us some side-on, front, and back photographs of the saddle on the horse, with the horse in a normal upright position. With the right pictures, we can usually help with most fitment questions right over the phone. If you made a mistake with the wither tracing: Down Under is still there for you. After viewing the photographs we will advise you if you have the saddle correctly positioned on the horse and if the saddle fitment is correct. If the saddle fitment is not correct we offer you one additional saddle tree adjustment at no charge (a $60 value). You send the saddle to us freight pre-paid, along with a note with your phone number and return delivery address, we will adjust the saddle tree to suit the photographs and we will pay the return shipping back to you. Please allow up to five working days for the adjustment, plus the return shipping time. Fitment for the horse and rider is our number one priority. Each original Down Under Direct customer is entitled to one custom adjustment at the time of purchase, and one additonal adjustment any time during the first year at no charge. How to Take a Wither Tracing
A First, note where an Australian saddle sits on the horse. It is forward on the withers, with the girth one to three inches behind the front legs. We want the wither tracing to reflect where the front of the saddle will be on the horse. The easiest way to find this spot is to follow the line of the back of the horse's front leg straight up to the top of the withers. B Next, snip off the twisted ends of a common coat hanger (or use any other bendable wire), and bend the wire over the withers where indicated until you have a snug fit. Carefully remove without changing the angle. C Trace the outline of the wire on a standard 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper with a black marker or a bold pen. Turn the paper sideways to give a larger drawing of the withers. We only need 6 to 8 inches down each side of the wire to get the correct angle. Mail or fax your wither tracing to (720) 975-9295. Make sure to include your name, phone number, and the saddle you ordered (or are interested in). Make sure to include the breed of horse, its height in hands, and its heart girth measurement (all the way around the horse where the girth goes - see below). For the rider, include your height, weight, and pant size. If you want to scan your wither tracing and send it to us via email, please mark a scale in inches across the bottom of the wither tracing. Sometimes scans don't get to us the same size as they were created. Scroll down a little and you'll find videos on how to do wither tracings and heart girth measurements. How to Take a Heart Girth Measurement
Where to position the saddle on your horse Australian saddles sit more forward on the horses back than traditional western saddles, the stirrups are also attached in a more forward position. This puts the rider's center of gravity and weight in a more forward position rather than the middle of the spine. The girth should be 1" to 3" behind the horse's front legs. This position is unquestionably far more comfortable for most horses and greatly enhances horse performance. Before undertaking a long ride with your new saddle, we suggest many shorter rides allowing the padding to conform and adjust to your horse.
How the saddle should fit on your horse Australian saddles do sit differently on a horse than Western or English saddles, and a different fitment approach is required. Make sure you contact us directly with any questions you may have. Be assured no one else can offer you the kind of knowledge required for saddle fitment of Australian saddles. Do not rely on trainers, tack shops, conventional saddle fitters or friends, whom although mean well, do not have the expertise required regarding Australian saddles and how they should fit your horse.
How can you determine saddle fitment in this way? I saw some guy conducting a clinic and claiming you need to have four fingers of clearance at the front of the saddle and certain clearance on each side of the withers. Well I guess you might say we have taken saddle fitment to a whole new level. If you don't have enough clearance between the top of the withers and the saddle, the front of the saddle is obviously sitting too low on the horse, this is diagnosed in illustration "B" above. If you had too much clearance at the front this is diagnosed in illustration "A". Our new fitting program is as simple as ABC, you would wonder why saddle fitters try to make it so difficult!
How to select the proper seat size...
Note: Colors of the products my vary slightly from the photos due to differences in computer monitor displays, dye lot variations, effects of lighting, etc.
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